UN
United Nations Peacekeeping
6 Mar
2009
Press Review
Today's local papers mainly focus on various subjects related to the ongoing political and economic situations in the DRC.
LE POTENTIEL goes back over the hearing by the parliament of the government-appointed managing directors of the public firms, which is on its second day, adding that an ad hoc monitoring commission of the Parliament was given the mandate to conduct a fortnight-hearing of the managing directors accused of mismanagement.
Referring to the same subject, LA TEMPETE DES TROPIQUES says the parliament should rather ''put in place protective measures to prevent those responsible for financial embezzlement in public firms from escaping'' since an audit report is already available. For the paper, ''in light of the abuses unveiled by the audit report, there is every indication that the managing directors in awkward position are likely to run away''. The paper reports some ''suspicious movements in western chanceries''.
The Parliament did not confirm the members of the Ethics and anti-corruption (CELCC) commission, L'OBSERVATEUR says, indicating ''the members of parliament drawn from the political Opposition and civil society denounce their being excluded from the CELCC list submitted to the parliament yesterday''. They said ''their representatives, who were chosen on a consensual mode are unfortunately not retained'', the paper writes, referring to it as a ''skulduggery''. The paper also recalls that CELCC is one of those institutions tasked to support the DRC democratic process. ''The commission's task will consist in handling issues relating to ethics and corruption across the country'', the paper says.
LE PHARE, in turn, writes 'ex-Faz officers get upset and cause a turmoil in the corridors of the Kinshasa Grand Hôtel where they have been accommodated. The paper says, the ex-Faz officers who returned to Kinshasa at the request of the DRC government are ''upset and feel sidelined notably for not being received, so far, by the armies' chief commander''. As a result, many of them would like to return to their host country. The paper therefore wonders ''what will all these frustrations generate in future''.
L'AVENIR announces that the chairman of the Belgian Francophone Socialist party, Mr. Elio Di Rupo whom it considers to be the ''regent of the Belgian policy in Kinshasa'', arrived in Kinshasa yesterday. The Belgian statesman in on his first trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo, ''at a time when DRC is in serious trouble coping with its fragile democratic transition'', the paper writes, highlighting that Mr. Di Rupo who is visiting the DRC a few weeks ''after Mr. Karel De Gucht who made a scornful remark when departing the DRC has a high political stature in Belgium''. The paper notes that during his stay in the DRC, ''Mr. Di Rupo will certainly have to bear the consequences of the incident created by his colleague Karel de Gucht''.
LA REFERENCE PLUS devotes its headlines to Vice-President Jean-Pierre Bemba's tour to Eastern DRC, indicating that after Bukavu, the MLC leader is expected in Goma, ''Vice-President Ruberwa's stronghold'' today. The paper notes that ''the trip is part of the efforts for the reunification of the DRC territory especially in the economic area''.
FORUM DES AS echoes a BERCI-conducted opinion poll ''reflecting the Kinshasa residents opinion regarding the Transition's decisive phase drawing to an end''. The opinion poll shows that ''Etienne Tshisekedi has ranked the first among the candidates closed to the population with 41% versus Joseph Kabila with 20%''. The paper further says that if the presidential election were to be organised next Sunday, ''Etienne Tshisekedi would get 36% votes, followed by Joseph Kabila who would get 31%''.
Referring to the same subject, LA TEMPETE DES TROPIQUES says the parliament should rather ''put in place protective measures to prevent those responsible for financial embezzlement in public firms from escaping'' since an audit report is already available. For the paper, ''in light of the abuses unveiled by the audit report, there is every indication that the managing directors in awkward position are likely to run away''. The paper reports some ''suspicious movements in western chanceries''.
The Parliament did not confirm the members of the Ethics and anti-corruption (CELCC) commission, L'OBSERVATEUR says, indicating ''the members of parliament drawn from the political Opposition and civil society denounce their being excluded from the CELCC list submitted to the parliament yesterday''. They said ''their representatives, who were chosen on a consensual mode are unfortunately not retained'', the paper writes, referring to it as a ''skulduggery''. The paper also recalls that CELCC is one of those institutions tasked to support the DRC democratic process. ''The commission's task will consist in handling issues relating to ethics and corruption across the country'', the paper says.
LE PHARE, in turn, writes 'ex-Faz officers get upset and cause a turmoil in the corridors of the Kinshasa Grand Hôtel where they have been accommodated. The paper says, the ex-Faz officers who returned to Kinshasa at the request of the DRC government are ''upset and feel sidelined notably for not being received, so far, by the armies' chief commander''. As a result, many of them would like to return to their host country. The paper therefore wonders ''what will all these frustrations generate in future''.
L'AVENIR announces that the chairman of the Belgian Francophone Socialist party, Mr. Elio Di Rupo whom it considers to be the ''regent of the Belgian policy in Kinshasa'', arrived in Kinshasa yesterday. The Belgian statesman in on his first trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo, ''at a time when DRC is in serious trouble coping with its fragile democratic transition'', the paper writes, highlighting that Mr. Di Rupo who is visiting the DRC a few weeks ''after Mr. Karel De Gucht who made a scornful remark when departing the DRC has a high political stature in Belgium''. The paper notes that during his stay in the DRC, ''Mr. Di Rupo will certainly have to bear the consequences of the incident created by his colleague Karel de Gucht''.
LA REFERENCE PLUS devotes its headlines to Vice-President Jean-Pierre Bemba's tour to Eastern DRC, indicating that after Bukavu, the MLC leader is expected in Goma, ''Vice-President Ruberwa's stronghold'' today. The paper notes that ''the trip is part of the efforts for the reunification of the DRC territory especially in the economic area''.
FORUM DES AS echoes a BERCI-conducted opinion poll ''reflecting the Kinshasa residents opinion regarding the Transition's decisive phase drawing to an end''. The opinion poll shows that ''Etienne Tshisekedi has ranked the first among the candidates closed to the population with 41% versus Joseph Kabila with 20%''. The paper further says that if the presidential election were to be organised next Sunday, ''Etienne Tshisekedi would get 36% votes, followed by Joseph Kabila who would get 31%''.
